Life-preserver.



No. 807,583. PATENTED DEG.19, 1905. L. L. SMITH.

LIFE PRESERVER. APPLIGATION FILED NOV. 4, 1004.

WITNESSES: INVENTOR g 10.015 Lam 8717/26. W7? M 7 flaw Z?) ATTOR EY LOUIS LUM SMITH, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

LIFE-PRESERVER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 19, 1905.

Application filed November 4;, 1904. Serial No. 231,379.

To a-ZZ whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LOUIS LUM SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Life-Preservers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to life preservers adapted to be fastened upon the body of individuals to sustain them in the water in an emergency or for pleasure; and the object of the present invention is to provide a life-preserver composed of several hollow compartments, so that buoyancy is obtained byreason of the air contained in the several compartments, a further object being to provide a life-preserver which can be easily inspected to ascertain whether effective or defective.

Another object is to provide a life-preserver of the character described that is cheap to manufacture, easily adjusted to the body, and which is adapted to persons of different sizes.

I accomplish the objects of myinvention by the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is an elevation view of a life-preserver constructed according to my invention, said view showing theinterior of the back of the preserver with the end compartments folded in the position they would be when about to be passed around the body. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the invention with part of the compartments in a folded position. Fig. 3 is a detail view of the means for securing the compartments together. Fig. 4: is a perspective view of a modified form of one of the compartments, and Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line 5 5 of Fig. 4.

In the accompanying drawings the several parts of my invention are indicated by numerals of reference, and in practice I provide a life-preserver comprising several air-tight compartments 6, preferably made of sheet metal and of the shape disclosed in the drawings, being preferably oblong in form with flat sides 7 and having edges composed of three I sides 8, 9, and 10, the sides 8 and 10 being wider than the side 9, so that the two sides 8 and 10 come nearly to a point. These comany desired manner, so that the entire compartment will be water-tight.

In assembling the compartments together I provide metal tapes 12 and 13, and adjacent to the top and bottom of each compartment I provide grooves 1 1 and 15, adapted to receive the tapes 12 and 13. Said grooves instead of running parallel with the top and bottom of the compartment are placed at an angle thereto. Each of the bands 12 and 13 is preferably doubled around the first compartment 16, the band on one side of the compartment passing down ward in an inclined manner, following the groove on that side, while on the opposite side the band passes upward, so that they cross each other at a slight distance apart, as shown at 17 in Fig. 3. After crossing, the part of the band 12 that passed upward now passes downward, while the other part passes upward, as clearly shown in Fig. 3, crossing to the next compartment above the other side of the band, so that the two parts of the band zigzag in their pathway around the several compartments and are held by the grooves 14 and 15 from chafing at the edges, and by reason of the fact that they cross each other at each intersection of the compartments one side could not drop down or slide up without carrying the other side with it, thus interlocking, as it Were, on each compartment, and as further means of preventing the sides of the bands 12 and 13 being displaced I may use a little solder 18 at the center of each compartment to engage the bands and keep them firmly fixed in place. Atone end of the several compartments I provide metal buckles 19, and at the opposite end I provide bands 20, which the metal buckles 19 are adapted to engage, so that the several compartments may be clamped around the body the same as the ordinary cork jacket, as will be readily understood, and in order to adapt the jacket to persons of different size I may provide at any intermediate point other bands 21, similar to the bands 20, so that if the jacket is to be clamped on a child it can be fastened snugly around the child without danger of the child slipping through the same, as is frequently the case with cork jackets in common use. I also provide the usual shoulder-straps 22 to assist in locating and holding the jacket on the body.

In operation the several compartments 6 have three-cornered edges, as described, and being connected together by the flexible bands 12 and 13 will readily fold right or left upon themselves, as the band by reason of the shape of the edges will as it leaves the edge of one compartment in folding be wound upon the adjacent compartment, so that at the edges these bands are free to engage either one or the other compartment, owing to the position these compartments are placed in relative to each other, thus making a perfectly flexible life-preserver composed of a plurality of airtight chambers. If the compartments are made from seamless drawn tubing, a cap should be placed on top, and in this construction if there should be a faulty joint the leakage would not be sufficient to fill one of the compartments for a long time, if at all, as the buoyancy of the several compartments is sufficient, so that the entire compartments would not be submerged in sustaining a body considerably heavier than the average human being. Consequently the tubes would not be submerged to admit water to the compartments even if there should be a leakage at the top.

The life-preserver can be readily tested, as simply submerging the same in water would prove whether or not there was leakage, especially if hot water were used, as it would cause the air to expand within the compartments and force the same out through any perforation, and such perforation would be disclosed by air-bubbles.

Constructed in this way the entire life-preserver is very light, easily adjusted to the body, compact in form, and any one desiring to use the same can see at a glance the material that has been used in the construction and is not forced to blindly jump into the water, not knowing whether or not the proper material has been used in construction. If very light metal is used, it would be preferable to compress the air within the compartment, which may be done through a valve 23, as shown in Fig. 4E.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A life-preserver comprising aplurality of hollow metal compartments having inclined edges, and flexible bands connecting the said compartments, said bands being passed around the several compartments in a zigzag manner alternating to the opposite side of each succeeding compartment, as and for the purpose set forth.

2. A metal life-preserver comprising a plurality of water-tight compartments having beveled edges, said compartments having grooves formed in the sides thereof, metal bands mounted in said grooves alternating to the opposite sides of each succeeding compart- Inent whereby the compartments can be folded together in either direction, a metal clamp at one end of said bands and straps adapted to engage said clamps at the opposite ends, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. A metal life-preserver comprising a plurality of water-tight compartments having beveled edges, said compartments having grooves formed in the sides thereof, metal bands mounted in said grooves alternating to the opposite sides of each succeeding compartment whereby the compartments may be folded together ineither direction, a metal clamp at one end of said bands and straps adapted to engage said clamps at the opposite ends, and secondary straps intermediate of the ends of said bands whereby the life-preserver may be adjusted to persons of different sizes, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. A life-preserver having clamping means at one end of the several folds, means to engage said clamp at the opposite end of said fold, and means'intermediate of the ends of said folds adapted to engage said clamps, for the purpose set forth.

5. A life-preserver comprising a plurality of hollow compartments, flexible bands connecting the samein a foldable manner, said compartments having grooves formed therein in which said bands are mounted and adhesive material intermediate of the sides of said compartments securing said bands in position, for the purpose set forth.

6. The herein-described life-preserver comprising a plurality of hollow compartments having flat sides and inclined edges, each com-- partment having inclined grooves therein adjacent to the top and bottom thereof, metal bands mounted in said grooves and passing on the opposite sides of each succeeding compartment, and alternating in a zigzag manner in their passage between the several compartments, adhesive material central of the compartments for securing the said bands in position, clamping means on one end of the series of compartments, a strap on the opposite end of said compartments adapted to engage said clamping means, and straps intermediate of the ends of said compartments adapted to engage said clamps, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

LOUIS LUM SMITH.

Witnesses:

G. P. VAN WYE, ETHEL T. COOKBL, 

